The local economy of Tennessee and its counties, metro areas and cities, from official US government data.
Unemployment rate
3.4%
August 2026, 3.5% a year ago
Average weekly pay
$1,426
Q1 2026, 3,254,064 jobs
New homes permitted
41,556
Last 12 months to August 2026
Net people moving in
+42,740
2022 to 2023
Newest data: -. Not seasonally adjusted: compare with the same month a year earlier. Click a row for its history.
The newest unemployment rate, pay, new home permits, moves and gas price for Tennessee, updated as new official numbers come out.
Unemployment for Tennessee is seasonally adjusted; for its counties, metro areas and cities it is not, so compare a month with the same month a year earlier. Pay covers all jobs that pay into unemployment insurance. Building permits count homes approved to be built, not homes sold. Moves count households by where they filed their tax returns in two years in a row.
The unemployment rate in Tennessee was 3.4% in August 2026 (seasonally adjusted, preliminary), compared with 3.5% a year earlier. 3,366,389 people were employed out of a labor force of 3,486,012. Among its counties, Cheatham County had the lowest rate (2.9%) and Hancock County the highest (5.5%, not seasonally adjusted).
Average weekly pay in Tennessee was $1,426 in Q1 2026, up 4.4% from a year earlier, across 3,254,064 jobs at 228,118 business locations.
Building permits were issued for 3,217 new homes in Tennessee in August 2026 (2,722 single-family and 429 in buildings with 5 or more units). From January to August the total was 28,115, down 6.7% from the same months last year, and 41,556 in the last 12 months. The most homes were permitted in Knox County (5,179), Davidson County (4,982), Rutherford County (3,490) over the last 12 months.
Yes. From 2022 to 2023, 200,321 people moved to Tennessee and 157,581 moved away, a net gain of 42,740 (+7.9 per 1,000 residents). Most newcomers came from Florida, California, Georgia, and most people who left went to Florida, Georgia, Texas.
The weekly survey does not publish a separate price for Tennessee. In its region, Midwest, regular gasoline averaged $4.29 per gallon in the week of September 28, 2026.